Top 10 Features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Samsung's highly-anticipated Galaxy Note 3 has finally been announced and is already raising the bar for phablets. The latest iteration of the phone is lighter and slimmer than its predecessor and offers a bevy of improved software, better security and stronger specs. Here are the top 10 features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

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Improved Multi Window Mode

Samsung's Multi Window mode has carried over to the Note 3 with one major improvement, the ability to run the same app in both windows. For example, now users can have two instances of the default browser open which can come in handy for some quick comparison shopping on two different websites.

Air Command

One of the new SPen features, Air Command calls up a quintet of multitasking apps on a half ring -- SFinder, Scrapbooker Action Memo, Screen Write and Pen Window. Activating Air Command involves simply holding the SPen over the screen before clicking the button on the side of the accessory.

Pen Window

If Multi Window's multitasking isn't enough for you, there's also the Pen Window feature. This new element gives users access to eight additional apps (YouTube, Calculator, Phone, Browser, Clock, ChatON, Hangouts and Contacts) in their own window. The apps are queued up by drawing a square or rectangle on the screen. Once the app is chosen, it occupies the square and can be resized to take up the entire screen or minimized to a block about the size of the icons on Facebook Chat Heads. Samsung is currently working with third-party vendors to create more apps for this feature.

Action Memo

The days of jotting down someone's name and number on your note-taking app and adding them to your contacts later are over. Thanks to the Action Memo feature, once you write down the person's contact info, it's automatically saved to your Contacts list, messy handwriting or no. Users can also access the dialer from the app shaving a few seconds off the process.

Scrapbooker

Taking a screenshot is a quick way to capture important information. However besides doodling, you really can interact with a screen capture. Samsung's Scrapbooker app pulls in important data such as urls, audio, video images and metadata for quick easy access. Capturing information is as simple as drawing a story around the desired content.

S Finder

Okay, so you have all this data on your phone, but how do you find a particular piece of information among all those images, notes, contacts and audio? With the S Finder app of course. S Finder searches for anything locally stored on the Note 3 even if it was written down in a note. The search can also be broken down by date and location.

Screen Write

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, LG should be blushing right about now. The new Screen Write app takes a screen capture of the display that users can then scribble on with the SPen which is very similar to LG's QuickMemo.

My Magazine

Samsung also drew some inspiration from HTC with the BlinkFeed-like My Magazine app. The app consists of three different feeds (News, Social and Personal) that incorporate a Flipboard style of navigation. The News and Social feeds are pretty self explanatory, curating the latest news and social networking updates. However the company has yet to reveal what sort of content the Personal feed will aggregate.

Samsug KNOX and Find My Mobile

As more and more users bring their own devices to work, there's a greater need to keep work apps and data separate from personal ones. Note 3 users will get an extra helping of privacy and security with Samsung KNOX, which launches a protected environment called a container where users can run business apps and store business contacts without exposing their personal information to a corporate IT manager.

The Note 3 also comes with the Find My Mobile feature that enables users to disable the device if stolen or misplaced. It also prevents stolen phones from being factory reset and enables remote tracking. Users can also remotely erase the phone's data.